Moon River
by the White Feather
Summary: AU - Sakura knows that married men are off limits. Well, that is until she meets one she can't seem to escape, while she is awake or within her dreams. But damn, she sure didn't want him to lose her. Mainly SasuSaku.
1. Infatuation

Ok guys. First off, this is a serious, over the top, uber AU. That means, there's no ninjas, or kunais (well actually there might be..), well…so no ninjutsu! That ALSO means that the characters will probably be really OOC. Especially Sasuke. I mean, there's no mass family murder here. (Thus he's not detached and heartless. And bent on revenge.)

**Moon River** – Infatuation

The sky over New York City loomed gray and lifeless, a stark contrast to the events taking place downtown in the metropolis. The apartments and lofts lining the famed 5th Avenue glittered festively with expensive lighting, boasting the inhabitants' extravagance and wealth.

A young woman stepped outside onto the sidewalk and headed into the heart of all the activity, towards the lavish French and Italian designer boutiques 5th avenue was known for. It was the week before Christmas, and well, she had procrastinated far too long for comfort.

The air around the city was crisp, and Sakura breathed it in greedily. It refreshed her spirits, and soon she was within the lush confines of the Louis Vuitton boutique. She saw a small handful of women gathered around a glass case, captivated by something inside. A few women motioned to their husbands, who loitered awkwardly against the walls. Sakura discovered what enthralled them so greatly: the recently released Damier leather Papillion bag.

She too fell under the spell of its luxury, and her eyes roamed over the handbag's barrel-shaped structure. And then the price tag. A cool $1,500.

Sakura strode over to the lighted counter and set her hands over the glass. She decided that the bag would make for the perfect personal Christmas present and smiled.

"I would like this one." Three staff members clad entirely in black turned their heads simultaneously. The female employee reached her first and smiled.

"The Papillion, mademoiselle?" The woman's voice was sugar-coated and heavily laden with a French accent.

"Yes ma'am." Sakura replied. The French woman lifted the Papillion and placed it within a duster bag as Sakura handed the woman a Mastercard.

Taking holding her purchase, she headed towards the exit. As she was weaving through the crowd of mainly women, Sakura bumped shoulders with a passing man, dropping her purchase. "Oh," she said without looking up, "I'm terribly sorry."

"No, don't be." The man reached down for the bag and handed it to Sakura. "I should really get my wife that purse for Christmas," an impish smirk took over his features. "mind if I buy if off you for half price?"

Sakura chuckled. "I wouldn't count on it. I could get a better deal on eBay." She looked up at the man's face to thank him. She breathed, astonished by his striking appearance. She was drawn to his charcoal eyes and powerful aura he posessed.

"Hrmm?" The man was worried at Sakura's expression. She looked at him wide-eyed, as if an insect were crawling up his face. "Am I that ugly?" He relaxed as she smiled at his joke.

"Oh no! You're quite handsome!" She laughed nervously, placing her arm on his. She inwardly smacked herself, feeling like some kind of stereotypical schoolgirl.

It was then that Sakura spotted the wedding band of white gold, and the stunning blonde with a matching ring who snaked her arm through his.

"Honey, would you come look at these pouchettes? They're absolutely adorable." She eyed Sakura, and then her hand on her husband's arm. "Sasuke-kun, who's this?" Sakura drew her arm back quickly as the blonde narrowed her cobalt eyes.

"I'm Sakura," She offered and quickly bowed, to avoid having the couple see the red in her cheeks. "I'm terribly sorry. Thank you for helping me collect my items." She smiled and strode out of the boutique.

As she made her way towards the simplistic-looking Chanel boutique, she thought about the handsome man…Sasuke, was it?

"Dear, I thought you only pulled those old jokes on me," cooed Ino. She tightened her grip on Sasuke's arm and led him towards the counter. Sasuke simply squeezed her hand and shrugged.

**---next day---**

Sakura grinned uncontrollably as she entered her office building. She knew this was the most rewarding part about spending nearly half her month's paycheck on a leather bag. She could feel her female coworkers' envy oozing over her as she opened the door to her personal office. Money was indeed a very strong element in the urban world.

Around noon a blonde male knocked and entered. "So I hear you've got the most coveted piece of cow hide in this building." He smirked at his own wisecrack.

Sakura smiled and looked up from her desktop. "Well, Naruto, that's what being the boss of this floor allows me to do. You should be doing some of that work I assigned for you to complete, you know." She wagged her finger at him and resumed typing at the Dell.

"Work shmurk. C'mon. It's lunchtime!" the male gave her a boyish grin and continued, "Where do you want to eat today, Sakura? I assume you're buying, with all the money you have, ya know?"

She laughed and said nothing as she grabbed her coat and Papillion. As she approached the young male, she put her forefingers to the corners of her eyes and pulled upward. "I feel a bit like sushi today."

"Yes! Miso ramen! Nice thinking, Sakura-chan." Naruto nearly skipped out of the office. Sakura simply followed him, shaking her head. She wondered why anyone would spend so much at a Japanese buffet to only eat ramen noodles that could be purchased at a convenience store.

They headed down Wall Street towards a new Japanese buffet that had opened right next to Battery Park. As they entered, Sakura spied tempura hand rolls and immediately felt her mouth water. She glanced at the blonde and found him scanning the buffet line for any sign of miso soup and noodles. The waitress seated them quickly and without delay, Naruto bounded off towards the buffet line.

Sakura decided to wash her hands first, seeing that she would have to be handing hand rolls and finger foods of that nature. She had just stood from the table when she heard someone shouting her name. Turning, she saw the handsome man from the Louis Vuitton boutique and a group of four other males. Sasuke exchanged some words with the man behind him and headed towards her.

Sakura smiled at him, waving shyly. "Well isn't it a coincidence to see you again. And so soon as well." She watched him nod and run his fingers through him hair. God, his hair looked perfect. Perfect for running her own fingers through when… Sakura inwardly slapped herself, forcing her mind to remember that he was a married man.

"I agree. It seems that this place attracted nearly every Japanese man and woman in the New York area." Sasuke glanced down, seemingly nervous. "Hey, are you eating by yourself? Come sit with us."

"Well, I'm actually eating with someone else…" Sakura was about to continue when Naruto approached the table and sat down. Seemingly unaware of the man talking to Sakura, he began to eat.

"Itadakimas!" Naruto broke his chopsticks apart and began to eat. Sasuke just stared at the young man wolfing down ramen. Sakura kicked Naruto underneath the table and threw him a questioning look.

Naruto whined, glowering at Sakura. It was then that his eyes widened at the new addition to the table. He spat out whatever ramen he had in his mouth and jolted from his seat, knocking the chair over.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" shouted Naruto, causing several heads to turn. His cerulean eyes hardened into an uncharacteristic ice blue as he glared at the man venomously.

The blonde's anger only grew stronger as the raven-haired man smirked. "Just here to eat my lunch," he turned to face Sakura. "Sakura, will you be joining us?"

Sakura stared at the two men, speechless. She never had the chance to give her answer, because it was then that Naruto's fist collided with the side of Sasuke's face.


	2. Zero Sum Game

Ahh!! The second chapter is finally up! School has officially started. And well, I need to raise that GPA. Expect little to no writing to be done on my part. Well, until Spring Break or something like that.

Haha the reviews were quite amusing…apparently a SasukeIno marriage BIG nono. Anyhoo…sorry about the total lack of knowledge on New York. I found out that Battery Park is practically on the other side of NYC in relation to Wall Street, which means that Sakura and Naruto walked across Manhattan to get to their restaurant. O.o

What can I say…? Let's just disregard that. On to the story.

**Moon River – **Zero Sum Game

Naruto's punch sent Sasuke rolling over the table behind him. Sakura screamed and ran over to the fallen man. His hit had left a red mark on the side of Sasuke's face., not to mention various plates of sushi on the ground beside him.

"Sasuke, are you alright? Goodness…look at that." Sakura grabbed a nearby glass and placed it against his face. He winced as the glass' cold sensation stung the fresh injury.

Holding the glass, Sasuke could do nothing but stare in disbelief. The blonde stranger had punched him.

"What the hell are you doing?" growled Sasuke, feeling his right cheek throb with pain.

"I'm giving you what you deserve, you two-timing jackass. Aren't you happy yet?" Naruto had seen how friendly he was acting towards Sakura. "…I'm not going to let you take another one from me."

"What the fuck are you talking abo—oh." Sasuke scoffed as the realization dawned on him. "You never even had a chance to make her yours."

He smirked. Naruto really had changed. Developed, even. Sasuke laughed inwardly. This man that he had known for years to be a scrawny, not to mention moronic pushover had sent him flying with one blow. He had finally taken a few visits to the gym.

"You fucker. I'm going to kick your ass." Spat Naruto.

Naruto was on the verge of making a second lunge at the raven-haired man when Sakura stepped in his line of vision.

"Naruto! What are you doing? Don't even think about hitting this guy again! Uzumaki Naruto, tell me what the hell is going on right now!" demanded an irate Sakura. Her eyes blazed, anger slowly taking over her features. "Answer me, Naruto."

Her infuriation grew as she watched the blonde man glare spitefully at the near-stranger, not speaking a word. Naruto had hardly glanced at Sasuke before deciding to clobber him and insult him with various degrees of profane words.

"Well? W-What's wrong?" Sakura was beginning to worry. Naruto was aggressive and hot-headed, but he didn't assault strangers in public places. And he surely never seemed this furious.

"Sakura, I…_He_…" Naruto growled, livid. Fury and confusion clouded his ability to form a coherent sentence. His face fell. "I need some air."

With that, he left the restaurant and lost himself in the passing throng.

* * *

Sakura could only watch as her coworker walked out of the now semi-demolished restaurant. She had never seen him look so…well, miserable before in the five years they worked together. 

_I'm not going to let you take another one from me._

What did that mean? Whatever it was, she decided that she didn't care at the moment. Snow fell in droves outside and Naruto's coat was still in her hands.

She was pushing the restaurant's main door when she felt a hand on her shoulder. And then heard a distinct cough.

"Miss, there's still the matter of the bill." The waiter turned and scanned the wreckage. "And I assume, for the broken water glasses and the labor needed to clean the result of this incident. Oh, and of course…there's a ten percent gratuity added to every bill. Well actually, this is a buffet. So that means it's just going to be added to your bill. You're a special lady." Sakura gaped at the man, eyes wide and speechless.

* * *

Sasuke sat in taxi S190 and stared out its window, eyes dark. The taxi reeked of the scent of some passenger's odor before him and artificial pine. The beaded seat cover he was sitting on poked his—well it hurt. The driver's attempt at interior decoration had only helped add physical discomfort to the list of undesirable occurrences. 

He still couldn't believe it. He had thought Uzumaki Naruto would be out of his life forever. After all, the blonde had given up on _her_; given up on Ino.

He smirked.

He had married her. But somewhere during the battle for Ino's heart, the woman had lost his interest; he had developed more of an enjoyment for watching Naruto suffer. The man's endless determination had irked him. He had so much of it, even in the face of obvious failure. Now the blonde channeled this determination into obtaining that Sakura woman.

Well then, Sasuke would see that he never succeeded in doing so. He would make Sakura his.

Sakura. Without a doubt, miss Haruno Sakura was indeed beautiful. Sasuke noticed first when she walked into that overpriced skin shop. Her strikingly powder-pink hair had first caught his eye—it wasn't something you saw everyday. It was apparent to him why Naruto would want to win her affections. She seemed to glow with a great inner passion as she spoke; her cheeks rouged and her eyes blazing.

Her eyes.

Her most exquisite features were her eyes. Sea green, and gleaming with inner strength.

They exuded confidence as she expressed her feelings entirely, no holds barred, not even for courtesy. He'd always liked women who didn't hold their feelings back. Those that were constantly gracious and refined struck him as false.

It seemed to him that the quest to win her affections would not be such a terrible one. And it didn't hurt that she was fascinating and easy on the eyes either.

* * *

After running four blocks in New York pedestrian traffic, as well as against the direction of falling snow, Sakura was positive that she would be bedridden along with Naruto. She smiled inwardly at the thought. That would be the perfect time to lecture him on the matters of common sense and get him to do her housechores. And make her soup, because Chicken soup really did taste good when she was sick. Oh yes, revenge was sweet.

It was amid her pleasant thoughts of yelling at Naruto when she finally spotted him.

"Naruto!! She shouted. "Uzumaki Naruto!" She forced her way through the crowds, trying her best from knocking others to the ground. Stepping in front of him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up at his face. She gasped.

"Oh God…" she whispered. His face was pallid. His cheeks were already an ominous shade of purple; his eyes red rimmed and lacking their usual glinting quality. Sakura threw the coat on him and led him by the arm until they reached the next climate-controlled building. She was suddenly very grateful for the Starbucks chain and how they forced a coffee shop of theirs on nearly every block of the city.

The place glowed with a comfortable aura and Sakura was instantly surrounded by the familiar scent of roasting coffee and casual banter. This was a definite contrast to the icicle she pulled in behind her.

Ignoring the worried and questioning stares, she eased Naruto into the couch adjacent to the fireplace in the center of the building.

"Naruto."

No response.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, eyebrows furrowed. The blonde finally looked in her direction. His eyes were still empty, lifeless.

"Naruto. I'm going to get you some coffee, okay?" She smiled brightly. She wanted him to cheer up. He had to cheer up. This stoic, emotionless Naruto was beginning to frighten her. It was too out of character.

"I'm s-sorry, Sakura." He stammered, trying to focus his unsteady gaze on her face. His mouth quivered as he tried to speak. Sakura's hands felt like fire on his own. "That Sasuke...he took someone special from me. Someone I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with, ya know? She was that special. And well, you know how that must've turned out." Naruto paused. He promised himself he wouldn't shed any more tears over _her_. He had once wept until the tears would no longer come, and that was never to happen again.

"Obviously I haven't forgiven him since. Or her either, for that matter," he continued, "That man was once my best friend, Sakura. I trusted him with everything. And her…I don't know what he said to her, but she sure as hell fell for it." Naruto was seething; he hated unearthing painful memories. It was a zero sum game with emotions, especially Love. But back then, that _intruder_ was the one benefiting. He himself was the one who had always gotten pushed to the ground.

Naruto realized he was rambling, and suddenly became very aware of Sakura's presence and gaze.

He sighed. "Didn't mean to depress you, Sakura-chan." Naruto forced a dimpled smile onto his face. "Don't worry about it, okay? Just as long as I don't see that Sakuke guy again, I act sane. I promise."

He reached over to give her a comforting embrace. "You know I never go back on my word." said Naruto softly.

"Who did he take from you, Naruto?" whispered Sakura.

His eyes widened and he moved to look at her eyes, trying to read her expression.

"He took my fiancée, Yamanaka Ino."

* * *

A/N: eh…no on-getting yet. You must develop the angsty personas before the on-getting can begin. So in that sense…a slightly boring chapter. A lot of thoughts and past remembrances. Too many? But the affair will develop. Soon, my pretties, soon. Haha like next chapter? 


	3. The Dark Side of the Moon

Wow I just realized that I fully forgot to add disclaimers! …But it's It's obvious that I don't actually OWN any of these characters, right? Eh…but for the sake of safety:

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters that are used in these stories here and now. They belong to the creator and any other executive peoples that work with him. Also, I do not own Charles Schwab. I saw a commercial for this company on TV, and decided to throw it in. And Procter and Gamble. And all the other brands and companies and things of that nature. Oh, and this disclaimer applies to previous and following chapters as well.

Whoo. Now everything's legal. On to the fic. Flashbacks are in italics.

Moon River – **The Dark Side of the Moon**

Yamanaka Ino awoke into the darkness of an early winter morning, an odd sense of foreboding taking over her thoughts. She tried to rid herself of the foreign premonitions, deciding to occupy herself by brewing some coffee. Coffee would be good. If it realigned her judgment after a night of drinking, it could dispel this cloud of apprehensive thoughts hanging over her head.

Breathing deeply, Sasuke took in the scent of fresh coffee, generously laced with notes of vanilla and cocoa. He smiled and stretched within the Egyptian cotton sheets, groaning. Flipping to his left, Sasuke was surprised when he didn't land on a sleeping Ino. He laughed to himself, realizing the conditions that had to be met before he could wake up to brewing coffee. Ino must've been drinking last night, or else she would have never woken up before he did.

Sasuke pulled on a t-shirt and headed towards the kitchen, glaring at the hair on the right side of his head, and how it decided to remain unruly despite his attempts to smooth it down. Currently unemployed, he could care less about how his hair looked. However, in a few hours he had a job interview, and he had already once been laughed out of a man's office on account of the aggravating mop of black atop his head.

Sasuke crossed the kitchen threshold tentatively, shivering as he stepped on the icy tile.

"Sasuke-kun! You're up!" chirped Ino. She snorted at the sight of his hair and returned to the stove. "Darling, would you like eggs for breakfast?"

"Actually, I'll just have some coffee. I have an interview today."

"Oh, is it for the CIO position?" questioned Ino.

"Yeah, that's the one." replied Sasuke, nonchalant. He had been aiming for this job for quite a while now. He would responsible for a pretty large chunk of one of New York's largest brokerage firms if he landed it.

* * *

Sakura sighed. She had gotten to the office earlier than usual, hoping to finish up yesterday's paperwork that Naruto had never even touched. If she didn't go ahead and do it herself, it would never get done. The blonde was driving her to an early grave. Sure he was an incompetent subordinate, but the most frustrating part was that she couldn't bring herself to fire him. Sometimes she wondered how she ever became such good friends with the man.

Sakura chuckled, recalling what had happened the first time she met Naruto nearly three years ago. They had both applied for the same job at Charles Schwab, and oddly, someone was fired at the last minute and they both received positions within the company.

She reclined in the leather desk chair, feeling conscious of her weight as it squealed beneath her. Sakura remembered sitting by the young blonde beside her within the waiting room, the receptionist busy reading off numbers into her headset.

"_Hey, um...sorry to be rude, but what exactly are you looking at?" Sakura glared at the blonde beside her. He had been staring at her for a while, and she was beginning to feel his eyes on her._

"_Whoops!" he laughed, throwing his arms behind his head. "Your hair is just so unusual. Didja dye it?"_

"_No." she replied, flipping pages in the magazine to the Fortune 500 list. _

_The blond man grinned._

"_Ya know, Sakura, if we both get jobs here, I'm takin' you to dinner."_

Sakura remembered her surprise as she heard her name fall out of his mouth. And at how he so shamelessly just _stated_ that he would be going on a date with her.

"_W-What? How did you know my name?" she questioned, eyes wide and mouth gaping._

"_Oh, really? That's your name? Awesome! I was just callin' you that 'cause your hair kinda reminds me of the sakura blossoms my mom used to grow."_

It was then that the intercom buzzed and her secretary's voice cut through her thoughts. "Miss Haruno, remember to get to the Floor before the noon bell to buy some Procter and Gamble for Hatake-san." Sakura grimaced. She abhorred above all else The Floor. All those men and women in business suits struggling to get their buys in and earn more money. She had been pretty lucky with her buys so far, earning a 50,000 profit for Hatake Kakashi. She had made him a richer man, and her employer had made her Floor Nine director.

Sighing, she grabbed an expanding file with the man's portfolio, her Sony Ericsson, and headed towards the New York Stock Exchange.

* * *

"Ugh, fuck NASDAQ." spat a man outside the Charles Schwab main building. He took a long puff on his cigarette and scowled.

Sasuke ignored the man and pushed the revolving doors of the glass building. The interior buzzed with activity, as women and men of varying ages sped around the floor, some occupied with cell phones; others simply strode past him with a definite sense of purpose. He reached the receptionist and asked for a Nara Shikamaru.

"Oh, you're that young hotshot Davis was talking about. Alright, here's your visitor's pass. Don't lose it." She smiled, looking him up and down, and handed him a laminated passcard. "Your interview will be on the ninth floor. Follow me." She took a step and paused, blushing.

I hope you get the job." The receptionist mumbled in a quiet voice.

"Thanks." Sasuke said and winked, smirking as he watched the crimson in her face deepen. He never knew why he had such a hold over women, but he finally discovered how to fully manipulate it after he graduated from college. That's when life began to get a lot more exciting at night.

He headed towards the elevators, eyes taking in the sophisticated simplicity of the art deco building. It was a glass building, and the sunlight streamed in boundlessly. Arriving on the ninth floor, Sasuke was almost immediately greeted by a rather small man.

"Uchiha Sasuke, right? I'm Miles Davis," started the man, shaking his hand. "Here's the room you'll be interviewed in, make yourself comfortable. Nara-san is in a meeting and will be finished shortly." With that he closed the door and left Sasuke alone in the private office.

* * *

"So Sasuke, I trust you will have a bright future here at Charles Schwab. I are a very intelligent young man, and I would like to see what you can do for us." Shikamaru smiled and opened the door for his newest employee.

"Naruto!" a flash of pink blew by Sasuke's face.

"Hrmm?" the blonde turned around in time to have Sakura leap into him. He laughed, "Sakura-chan, what is it? Why are you so happy?"

"Guess how much money I just made for Hatake and this company. Guess! Just guess!" Sakura was beaming.

"I don't know…four thousand?"

"Nope! Four hundred thousand." A mischievous grin took over her features as the entire office fell silent. Here it was again, she thought, the feeling you get when all eyes are on you, and it's not because they're mocking you or laughing at you. It's that mixture of jealousy and admiration. Perfect.

The silence was broken by the sound of someone clapping. Turning towards the direction of the sound, Sakura saw the same raven-haired man who had brought back so many painful memories for Naruto just a week earlier. And for that she wanted so much to wipe that smug look off his face.

"That's very impressive, Miss Haruno. That's why you're floor director, after all."

Shikamaru snapped his fingers, remembering a conference he had with the financial directors of Shiseido later in the day. "Haruno-san, since you're here, I might as well ask you now. Since you are the floor director, why don't you show our newest employee the ropes? I'm sure Mister Uchiha Sasuke would greatly appreciate that, especially from a beautiful woman such as yourself. Isn't that right, Sasuke-kun?" Shikamaru's curiously cheerful voice was beginning to irritate Sakura, who by this time was turning various shades of pink.

"Y-Yes sir. It would be my pleasure Nara-sama." Sakura's voice could do nothing but hit an unnatural octave as she plastered on a false smile, shaking the dark-haired man's hand. "So shall we get started?"

She led him to her office, noting that Naruto was nowhere to be found on the way back.

"I believe today will be quite interesting, Ms. Haruno." Sasuke held the door open as the pink-haired woman brushed past him. It would indeed turn out to be interesting. With this woman, he would break that Naruto.

Sakura reached for a manila folder from the stack she had placed on the top shelf. Turning, she held the folder out to the man and glared at his face, searching for any reason to give him the verbal (perhaps physical as well) beating he deserved.

"You know I'm only doing this for my job. There's no need for you to make small talk with me." Her voice was shaking. There was nothing! His face held no trace of malevolence. His voice was pure and above all…kind. He was a completely different person from what she witnessed in the restaurant. He was…more like the man she had encountered in the boutique. What had triggered this sudden change of personality? Well, she would leave that question for the end of the day.

* * *

"So you see, Higurashi-sama, minna-san, with the credentials our company has presented you, we feel that Charles Schwab will provide for Shiseido the most it can get out of its company investments." Sea green hardened into emerald. Sakura gestured to the points displayed behind her. She studied the man's movements, eyes narrowed once she noticed the financial director's smile. "Have we got a deal?"

"You've got quite a comprehensive argument and selling point, my dear." Higurashi turned to face Sasuke, who in turn decided not to marvel at the reflective qualities of the director's head. "Uchiha-san, did you say? What compelled you to apply for a job at this company? Why not Merrill Lynch or another competitive company?"

"Well, erm…you see.." In his peripheral vision he caught Sakura throwing him a pleading look, and that left him feeling even more embarrassed at his loss for words. "Higurashi-sama, it is my deepest and truest belief that a company is as good as its shareholders, and well, since my friends and myself happened to have shares of Charles Schwab, it was an obvious choice. Oh not to mention the women I encountered in their offices always seemed to be quite young and beautiful."

With the last line Sasuke warranted quite a few laughs from the men in the room, only to be silenced by a disapproving (and rather frightening) glare from Sakura.

The only thoughts that ventured into Sakura's mind on the way back to the Charles Schwab main building were thoughts of well…that ridiculous Sasuke character. She couldn't quite figure him out. Believing she had a sound, concrete reason to be cold and utterly rude to him stemmed from his actions the other day as well as how she felt after Naruto told her stories of his disloyal behavior. But she had seen his face with her own eyes, it was free of malice. She had heard him speak to those around him with such a light-hearted, genuine tone of voice. And besides confirming that he was a pervert, she had to admit that she had no good reason for hating the raven-haired man. Didn't everyone tell her to always look for the good in people? After all, what he had done was in the past, and he could've become a

"Miss Haruno!"

She felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her backwards. Immediately afterward she felt the artificial breeze created by a street-sweeper rolling down the road. That was too close. She had never been this careless before! Why was this man consuming her thoughts? And…and why was she in his arms again?

Frightened green met endless black as Sakura stared into Sasuke's face, blushing enormously.

"I..ah..didn't mean to be so clumsy…I'm not usually like this." stammered Sakura, feeling her face grow hotter.

"Don't worry too much about it, Ms. Haruno. Someone as important as you will most definitely have many things on her mind. As long as they don't get you into traffic accidents they should be fine." He smiled warmly, chuckling inward as he saw her blush.

It was at that moment a cheerful blonde decided to leave the office for some lunchtime ramen, waving furiously the moment he saw the head of pink. "Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!"

Decisions, decisions. What would happen if he were to remain holding her? The moron was bound to see him doing so. In fact, what would happen if he was to lift her chin and kiss her? What interesting possibilities. Oh, but there was also the deep, painful way of allowing her to fall in love with him, and having her choose him over her blonde friend. Oh the ways to break this poor man's spirit.

"Sakura-san, what would you say if I were to…" began Sasuke, tilting her face towards his own.

"Hmm? If you were to do what?" The woman was in a dreamy daze. This was just too easy.

* * *

A/N: Oh my that was quite the uneventful chapter. I hope something will happen soon! ;; 


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